“I’m a little nervous” – The voices before the super finale

No matter whether Zandvoort or Monza, Silverstone or Jeddah – the premier class of motorsport has experienced a rollercoaster of emotions in the past few months, which is now approaching its final climax. The duel between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton is entering its final lap at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Saturday's qualifying provided another (and final) taste of the showdown.

Even though Max Verstappen's pole position initially made the Dutchman look like the favorite, there was still a negative aspect in focus. Since the championship leader had braked, his preferred medium tires had become unusable. Therefore, Verstappen has to go into the all-important race on Sunday with the unpopular softs. Of course, the topic also determined the interviews after qualifying. The votes for the final in Abu Dhabi Max Verstappen (pole position): “It wasn't our plan to start with the softs. But I felt good on the soft tires during the long run in the second free practice session. The decision was therefore not too difficult. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”

Lewis Hamilton (2nd place): “Red Bull has a very, very fast car. Just look at Verstappen's qualifying in Jeddah. When everything comes together, they come out on top.”

Toto Wolff: “You have to accept the situation as it is. It's 1-0 for Red Bull. Because of the tires we might have a disadvantage at the start and in the first few laps. But in the long run we could be ahead. In the next few hours we will work through some simulations and draw our conclusions from them. But no matter which tire – the fastest car will win tomorrow.” Can Lewis Hamilton become the sole record world champion? © ANSA / KAMRAN JEBREILI / POOL

Lando Norris (3rd place): "I am a little bit nervous. I would love to be able to stay where I am and watch everything unfold in front of me in the first few laps or the entire race. I want to interfere as little as possible. This can cause a lot of controversy. I don’t want to decide this World Cup.”

Christian Horner: “We were forced into the softs, but in the end everything worked out. The teamwork between Max and Sergio was excellent. This was probably Max's best lap all year. Pole position is important, but we also have to turn it into a win tomorrow. Max would have very much deserved it.” Hamilton senses Red Bull's bluff The race on Sunday (14 p.m.) will be quite explosive. Even though Red Bull had to switch to the soft tires in Q2, Lewis Hamilton suspects that this was a strategy from the Austrian racing team. The seven-time world champion doesn't trust Verstappen's brakes. “I'm always skeptical about things. If he really messed up there, then maybe we’re in a better position than they were with the soft tire, or maybe they know something we don’t know and the soft tire was their plan all along.”

Whether this is a strategy on the part of Red Bull or whether the Dutchman has really made a mistake will probably only become clear in the final showdown in Wüstenstatt.

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“I’m a little nervous” – The voices before the super finale

The Formula 1 season is coming to an end and is looking forward to a top-class showdown in Abu Dhabi. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton go into the final race with equal points. The intensity of the duel creates excitement throughout the entire paddock.

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